Altran buys Nspyre, adds 680 advisors in Benelux
Altran has acquired Nspyre, a technical consulting firm based in the Netherlands. Around 680 of the firm’s employees will be stepping over to the French origin Altran, which will with the move in one stroke become one of the largest technical service providers in the Benelux region. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Nspyre is a management and consulting firm in the area of hightech-technology, software development and R&D. The firm was founded in 2008 through the buyout of the technical automation division of Ordina and the subsequent merger with the Dutch automoation business of Atos Origin (now Atos). The eleven specialised technology units of Nspyre span the entire production process, from consultancy and project management, to development, engineering, testing and implementation.
In line with the strategic aims of Altran to grow its Benelux footprint, the firm has decided to fully acquire Nspyre. For Altran this is its second large takeover in the region in recent times – last year the firm bought TASS, a specialist in the area of Intelligent Systems (~230 employees). “Nspyre is a perfect example of the type of company Altran is targeting in that it meets the Group’s three acquisition criteria: it offers a comprehensive, cross - industry range of the key technological skills required in all business sectors, as well as a high - margin activity portfolio, and will reinforce Altran geographical leadership positions”, says Pascal Laffineur, Chief Executive Officer of Altran Benelux.
With the takeover Altran Benelux now has a team of 1,800 employees, of which 1,000 are in the Netherlands; the firm’s turnover is expected to increase to about the €150 million*. Key regional rivals in the area of IT and technical services include Brunel, Yacht, Sioux and the integrator practices of the large IT consultancies.
Brand consolidation?
Nspyre’s current business model is not expected to undergo revolutionary change following the takeover, although the new owner is expected to look for synergies among the services. The current management too will stay in place. Philip van Blanken, head of Nspyre, remarks with optimism on being acquired: “Altran and Nspyre have a perfect strategic fit and share the passion of making a difference through technology. Becoming part of the Altran group was the next major step necessary for our company’s development; it expands our client portfolio, boosts our research and development capabilities, gives us international access and solidifies our position with our customers. We are very excited about the future and look forward to writing the next chapters of our company’s development as part of a larger organisation.”
As part of the integration process, for both Nspyre and TASS, Altran has launched a study into the feasibility of merging the labels into one brand. In the meantime, both businesses will continue to operate under their own name.
* Worldwide Altran has around 23,000 employees in more than 20 countries and a combined income of €1.8 billion.
